Music
I kicked things off with Coldplay’s latest album, Viva la Vida (EMI),
which I purchased from iTunes in their plus format, meaning all the
songs were DRM-free with 256kbps AAC encoding. This still isn’t much,
but it’s better than what most iTunes are used to, which is 128kbps.
Starting with the track “Lost,” the bass was extremely taut and the
level of detail was startling. The texture and extension throughout
the lower registers, a Krell strength, was incredible, as it changed my
perceptions of what is possible from the tiny iPod. Vocals were clear,
firmly placed and natural. I couldn’t hear any compression to frontman
Chris Martin’s voice at all. Scale, weight, even his subtle movements
behind the microphone could be heard. The snap of the handclaps was
immediate and, again, compression-free with natural pop and decay.
Truthfully, I had never before thought that what I heard from the KID
and Papa dock combo was possible. The cymbal bits near the end of the
track shimmered beautifully and, while not quite analog-sounding, were
far more in league with the best CD playback then the sound of a
99-cent download. More impressive still was the scale, front to back
and side to side, of the soundstage. The soundstage definition was
quite shocking, given that most downloads are flat and lifeless, rather
than enveloping and full of air. Dynamically, the KID/Papa combo
didn’t disappoint, as the pair proved explosive yet delicate,
regardless of the volume. Crank the duo and all of what I described
only gets louder, without losing an ounce of composure or musicality.
Truly incredible.

Next, I cued up A Perfect Circle and their hit “Judith” (Virgin), which
was captured at lossless quality by yours truly. I kept my thumb on
the volume button and approached critical mass. From my listening
chair, I can say this: the KID/Papa dock combo is not a novelty piece.
This is serious audio hardware with performance worthy of the Krell
name it brandishes so boldly on its faceplate. The bass control is
epic. For 150 watts per channel, the weight, depth and texture the
amps rip from my Paradigm’s woofers is staggering. However, this does
not surprise me, for I had a similar experience when listening to
Krell’s Evolution series amps at Jerry Del Colliano’s house through his
Watt Puppies. We both sat in amazement as the mighty Wilson speakers
were given a workout the likes of which we had never heard before.
Krell has always been about amplifiers. As far as amps go, they make
some of the best there is, if not the single absolute best, and the
Papa dock is no exception. Vocals were again very well-placed and
full-bodied. The duo captured Maynard’s rawness, as well as pulling
him a bit forward from the rest of the music and allowing him to travel
a bit from side to side, which I had never experienced nor heard
before. Very cool. The cymbal crashes and guitars were a welcome
break and addition to the driving bass of “Judith” and held up nicely
in the face of extreme volumes. Seriously, after listening to the
track four times back to back, I can’t recall a time when I’ve heard it
better than what the KID/Papa dock combo dished out, which is saying a
lot, for there was a whole rack of reference-grade two-channel gear
sitting idle nearby and at no time did I miss any of it.

Seriously, no matter what I threw at the KID and Papa Dock, be it Diana
Krall or Insane Clown Posse, the results were always the same.
Regardless of the bit rate or compression, the combo was always
musical, always engaging and managed to clean things up a bit. Sure,
the bigger the file, the better the rip and the better the overall
sound, but I’m telling you, for the first time, 128kbps iTunes-bought
music didn’t sound horrid. In fact, more often than not, it sounded
damn good. For instance, Tori Amos’ album Scarlet’s Walk (Sony), which
is available for download at 128kbps only and through other systems in
my home, is largely unlistenable. The bass is soggy, the treble is
rather etched and overly digital-sounding and the vocals go from in
your face to inside an aluminum can at will. With the entire disc
loaded up and at the ready, I hit play. The bass was still a bit fat
at times, but the bloat was gone, replaced with detail that revealed
subtle chord changes and decay within the drum kit itself. The bass
was further assisted by its placement in the soundstage, which was
further back and slightly to the side of Amos’ piano. Amos’ vocals
were clearer and more consistent and the effects on her voice were
easily heard and not as confusing or jarring as before. The piano was
large, rich and more lifelike in its presentation. It sounded more
like a real piano than a facsimile of one, which is usually what you
get when you listen to iTunes-purchased music. Did the Krell combo
magically fix this otherwise worthless iTunes purchase? No, not
completely, but it did save it from the trash bin, took taken it off
life support and placed it back in my late-night ambient shuffle. At
lower volumes, the album Scarlet’s Walk is quite nice.